Torchlight II is going to have it’s work cut out for it, and Runic Games knows it. The success of the original game was largely due to the hole left by an unreleased Diablo III. With D3 releasing in a little over a month, that hole is closing rapidly. However, with a planned $20 price point and the inclusion of multiplayer, along with a few other choice improvements, Torchlight II is out to prove it’s not just a cheap replacement. I got a few minutes to sit down with Max Schaefer, CEO of Runic Games and co-creator of the Diablo series, to talk about those changes and how Torchlight II is going to set itself apart.
Obviously, the biggest improvement is also the biggest complaint about the Torchlight I: multiplayer. The game now features drop-in/drop-out multiplayer. Enemies scale in difficulty dynamically as the number of players change though exactly how many players “Possibly up to six players, ” Max said, “but you could increase that to 100 if you wanted with the developer tools.”
How you’ll be playing with those people is pretty much up to you, TL 2 supports both LAN and internet play. Runic will be providing matchmaking service, but all games will be hosted by players, allowing you to chose from a list of games; you’ll also be able to see what player created mods that particular server is running. Any time servers are hosted locally, it raises the question of cheating, so I asked Schaefer what they were doing to prevent that. Nothing, as it turns out. “There will be cheating,” he said, “but it’s definitely meant to be played with friends.”
I was able to play it after the interview and it feels a lot like Torchlight 1 (Read: excellent), with some changes for the better. While you’ll be spending a lot of time underground, there are now some outdoor areas mixed in. The pets are back with eight to choose from as opposed to the standard dog and cat from the first game, and can now be sent to town with a shopping list of basic items. They’ve also added a charge system that rewards characters with temporary bonuses for killing enemies quickly.
It remains to be seen how Torchlight II will fare in the face of some pretty stiff competition, but it definitely seems to be on the right track. I will say that although it began filling the hole that Diablo left behind, it seems to be not only justifying it’s existence, but proving to not just be something to play while you’re waiting for Diablo to release. Currently, Runic Games has not set a release date.
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